Drinking fountain head



Sept. 5, 1939. R. H. ZINKIIL ET AL 22172306 DRINKING FOUNTAIN HEAD Filed Aug. 25, 1937 \9 .Jizaazfony fqydf 55767611,

lZzarM/r mix/w \9 j @w a/Mm Patented Sept. 5, 1939 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRINKING FOUNTAIN HEAD Application August 25, 1937, Serial No. 160,798

2 Claims.

Our invention relates to a novel form of drinking fountain head preferably having an offset orifice in which the jet of water or stream is discharged through an elongated or slotted type of opening producing an especially .desirable drinking mound of water, considered especially from the standpoint of maintaining sanitation in the avoidance of communicable diseases, and also in the formation of a practical and satisfactory drinking mound when applied to the human mouth.

A further important object of our invention is to provide a drinking fountain head of the general character described having improved guard means effective for the prevention of tampering and unauthorized interference with the point of water emission and also assuring an adequate supply of water for drinking purposes.

Another object lies in the provision in which a stream guard is maintained at all times so as to avoid the application of the users lips to the orifice and to the head surfaces immediately adjacent to the drinking mound, and also to pre vent the entry or insertion into the discharge orifice of small foreign objects or the unclean fingers of a playful but thoughtless child in an attempt to create a squirting stream.

A further object of our invention resides in the combined construction comprising a preferably slotted orifice with a shield and guard, as hereinafter described in greater detail, the latter being of such proportions and arrangement as to permit the discharge of water therefrom in desired drinking quantities and combined with an offset discharge from a central vertical supply source so that the drinking mound is preferably formed in a manner in which the consumable stream is projected and flows in a direction at a substantial distance away from the orifice from Which the said stream of water is initially discharged,

Another advantage of our invention lies in the arrangement of a shield in combination with the orifice and guard so that while the upper edge of the guard is only a relatively short distance from the apex of the arch of the discharged stream, access of the lips to the drinking mound of the latter is easily provided but without the objectionably insanitary contact with the adjacent metal.

A further advantage lies in the provision of a discharge orifice of such preferred form and location so that residual water is prevented from forming around the orifice and also is prevented from dripping or from being .drawn into the drinking stream which is subsequently discharged. 7

Another important object of our invention lies in the alternative provision of a drinking fountain head with a renewable orifice, the latter being economically and conveniently formed so as to I provide the proper guide for the stream within the discharge periphery and thereby promote the steady flow therethrough.

Another important provision lies in the arrangement for the relative positioning between 1.

the orifice plate and the orifice guide, as hereinafter described, so that adjustability of the discharge orifice is easily obtained, adaptable to pressure conditions and the like, and yet also possessing the advantage of being easy to clean, to-

gether with allowing for convenient inspection of the exterior surfaces adjacent to the discharge orifice.

A further advantage of our .drinking fountain head lies in the provision of a novel form of dis- 2 charge orifice which may be made either adjustable or fixed and of such desired shape, such as curved, V-shape or of any other convenient form contributing to the formation of a convenient drinking mound. A further important object of the invention lies in the construction of a guard with reference to the discharge orifice so that either the return or dripping Water from the users mouth is directed away from the drinking orifice.

Summarizing the foregoing objects and advantages briefly, this invention relates to a drinking fountain head in which the orifice is shaped so as to form a practical drinking mound discharging at an angle to avoid contamination, thereby enabling the use of an effective guard in addition to being easy to clean and allowing for convenient inspection of the discharge orifice as well as the surfaces adjoining the latter.

Further objects and advantages will become readily apparent upon proceeding with the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a partly sectional view in plan of a preferred form of construction showing the general relation of the slotted guard to the shield and discharge orifice.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front exterior view of one form of fountain head of a type exemplifying our invention.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 shows one form of renewable orifice guard disassembled and with a preferred arrangement of overhanging lip for the deflection of water from lower discharge orifice when in assembled posi- 7 tion.

Fig. 6 is a view of a simple preferred construction of orifice plate with an upraised peripheral lip around the discharge orifice.

Fig. 7 shows a modified construction of orifice plate with a plain slotted aperture.

Fig. 7a shows an orifice plate which in form is similar to that described in Fig. '7, but in which adjustability of the discharge is obtained by providing for the plate being made in halves in slidable relation.

Fig. 8 shows another form of plate in which the discharge orifice is shown in V-form, as an ex-v ample of one of the many forms available to produce a drinking mound of water.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

Directing attention to Fig. 2, the head or casing I, preferably of the offset type, is mounted upon the inlet water supply pipe 2 by means of the threads 3 or by any similar connecting means, the pipe 2 being connected to a source of water supply (not shown). The head is provided with hollow interior chamber 4, thereby serving as a supplemental fiowing channel for the water entering from the port of the inlet pipe 2. If desiredQalthough not necessarily, the chamber 4 may be provided for a portion of its length with the guide ribs 6, the latter facilitating more uniform fiow of the water through the chamber. The chamber 4 is provided with the aperture I at the upper offset end portion 8 thereof, the said aperture being preferably of elongated or slotted form. Mounted preferably in abutting relation upon the said end portion 8 of the head I,

the orifice plate 9 is positioned and may be either a sheet metal stamping or in cast form, and preferably'bearing squarely against the upper surface, the latter being slightly inclined as shown or it may be made substantially horizontal, all

of which would depend upon the type of installation desired, the pressure condition encountered and other influencing factors. The plate 9 is provided with a longitudinally extending narrow or elongated discharge orifice II, through which the water will pass initially in its course of being discharged. It will, therefore, be apparent that the shape of the orifice II plays a prominent part in the determination of the proper size or the desired shape of the drinking mound.

' 8), and which are located preferably one at each end thereof, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4, through which the machine bolts I3 extend in connection with a further assembly to be subsequentliy described. For the purpose of providing for the proper spacing between the orifice plate 9 and the orifice guard I 4, the spacer bushings I5 are placed upon the latter in alignment with the holes I 0. The spacing provided by the bushings I5 is significant for it will be noted that if the water supply pressure should drop perceptibly and the drinking stream drops accordingly, say

to the extent of being below the guard I4, it will not be possible for the user to place the lips immediately adjacent to the discharge orifice II and suck the water therethrough, which is an objectionable practice in numerous installations today, producing a dangerous source of disease contamination. Further, the fingers cannot be placed against the orifice so as to produce squirting of the water, an insanitary practice frequently resorted to at schools, parks, playgrounds and the like. superposed upon the spacer bushings are the transversely extending ears I6 made preferably integral with the shield I8, hereinafter referred to more specifically.

The complete assembly, comprising the respective orifice plate 9, the spacer bushings I5, the

'shield I8 (contacting at the ears I6), and the orifice guard I4, is then attached to the end 8 of the casing I by means of the machine bolts I3 extending through the respective apertures II], as indicated at IT, and which is more clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The substantially hollow or shell-shaped shield I8 by virtue of its previously referred to attaching ears I5, is superposed over the respective orifices or ports I9, I I and 1 within the orifice guard, the orifice plate and the casing, respectively, so that the sanitary limitation in drinking is provided whereby the user is prevented from placing the lips against the guard I4 or around the orifice I9 therethrough. Or, to put it'difierently, if there is not a sufiiciently free strong flow of the drinking stream to obtain a sufficiently substantial amount of water to extend upwardly through and beyond the shield, then no drink of Water at the fountain head can be obtained. At the same time, it will be noted that the shield by reason of being hollowed, as at 2|, and extending angularly over the head end 8 prevents the insanitary dripping of surplus Water from the drinkers lip, the falling of other foreign matter either directly upon the exposed discharge orifices, or the adjacent areas, such as the orifice plate and orifice guard. However, it will be appreciated that the arrangement of the spacing provided by the bushings IE allows for the'easy cleansibility of the fixture by the simple and effective insertion of a brush between the spaces above the discharge orifice, and also upon the surfaces constituting respectively the undersides of the guard and shield.

Because of the relatively large difference in size between the respective openings II and I9, the restricted water stream after passing through the slotted orifice II will not touch the peripheral surfaces of the latter in passing'through it, nor should it strike against the hollow surface 2I of the shield I8 because of the preferred angularity of the positioning of the discharge orifice plate 9, as shown, and the tendency therefore of the drinking mound to be projected away from or to one side of its point of discharge. However, a drinking mound will be formed by the projected stream having a crested or knotted apex of water which is particularly adaptable for co? operation with the human mouth in allowing for .a substantially large amount of water to be rendered easily consumable. It is therefore apparent that the parts thus described are relatively simple and economical to manufacture, capable of numerous changes in form, being adjustable as desired.

raised or upturned, as indicated at Ila, so as to prevent the flowing of the residual water across the plate into the oblong opening H and thence into the inlet orifice 1 when the plate 9 is in the inclined position shown.

As indicated at I2 in Fig. 2, the plate on its underside may, if desired, be simply formed in a hollow manner as to form the annular inclined portion Ha.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 7, a simple flat plate 9 may be used as the orifice plate in order to produce the desired drinking mound.

As indicated in Fig. 7a, the single plate may, however, if desired for purpose of providing adjustability, be made in two or more pieces, designated as 9 and 9a, one superposed over the other and arranged in slidable relation. As shown by the dotted lines, the holes ID are made slotted so as to allow for the adjustable sliding movement therebetween referred to. Thus it will be apparent that the width of the slot or discharge orifice Il may be increased or decreased in width, depending upon the size and form of the drinking stream of water desired.

In Fig. 8 there is illustrated a V form of orifice H in which the latter, while shown in oblique angular form, may be made curved, crescentshaped or of oval shape or in convex or concave form, or else may be made of any required shape to suit the installation or the purpose intended.

From the foregoing detailed description it is evident that a simple and relatively compact construction has been provided for a device providing for drinking means available for use by the public in a sanitary manner conducive to good health and which may also be modified in many ways from the particular forms disclosed and described.

We desire, therefore, to be limited only to the extent of the claims appended hereto.

We claim.

1. In a drinking fountain head adapted to provide a curving column of water, the said head comprising a casing having an elongated discharge aperture, a slotted orifice plate member cooperating with the said casing to control the fiow through the said aperture, a superposed plate-like guard therefor having a complementary elongated aperture, the said guard having longitudinally extending deflecting means thereon downwardly depending, whereby the stream flow therepast and residual accumulations are prevented from re-entering the casing discharge aperture.

2. A drinking fountain head of the character described, comprising in combination a casing having an elongated discharge aperture, a slotted orifice plate mounted in abutting relation to the said casing to control the fiow through the said aperture, an elongated plate-like guard in spaced relation above the said orifice plate, the said guard having a plurality of substantially parallel deflecting lips thereon, the said plate having a peripheral raised portion surrounding its slotted orifice, whereby the flow of residual water across the plate and into the casing discharge aperture. is minimized.

ROY H. ZINKJL. EDWARD A. FREDRICKSON. EUGENE W. MARCHAND. 

